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Tag: PIA

  • Army to finally launch Askari Airline?

    Army to finally launch Askari Airline?

    Amid controversies surrounding the licences of several Pakistani pilots, which have also led to the suspension of Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) authorisation to operate in European Union (EU) member states and the United Kingdom (UK), a newspaper clipping pertaining to the launch of army’s Askari Airline has left Twitterati in doubts.

    “Preparations for the launch of Askari Airline completed; licence issued,” read the undated Urdu newspaper clipping making the rounds on the internet.

    The undated Urdu newspaper clipping making the rounds on the internet

    It added that “the chief of army staff (COAS) would inaugurate the project that was in its final stages owing to the efforts of the Army Welfare Trust (AWT)” — Pakistani conglomerate also known as Askari Group of Companies — and mentioned details of the airline’s fleet.

    The clipping drew the ire of a majority of netizens who attempted to draw a link between the downfall of the national carrier and the alleged impending launch of Askari Airline, compelling The Current to look into the claims.

    According to prominent aviation journalist Tahir Imran, Askari Airline was given approval a few years ago, which suggests that the clipping is not a recent one.

    When contacted, Imran said that Askari Airline was among six new airlines that had applied to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for regular public transport (RPT) licences in 2018.

    “These airlines are Liberty Air owned by Chaudhry Munir and Mian Amir, Go Green Airways owned by Elahi Group, Askari Air owned by AWT, United Airways Pakistan Limited owned by Adnan Tabani, AirSial owned by the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Afeef Zara Airways owned by Rashid Siddiqui,” he said, adding that even though they had been granted licences, no other airline except AirSial was for now in a position to launch flight operations.

    “But even AirSial faces an uncertain future as its launch scheduled for May 2020 has indefinitely been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic among other reasons. It might see the light of day by 2020’s end… but everything depends on how the current situation pans out.”

    To a question regarding the fate of Askari Airline, Imran said that no appointments in this regard had so far been reported, let alone any progress towards its launch. “Askari, as well as other upcoming airlines except AirSial, lack the required infrastructure for now and their launch within the ongoing year doesn’t seem possible.”

    ASKARI AVIATION SERVICES:

    Speaking of Askari Aviation Services (AAS), he said it was run by AWT and its activities included domestic and international travel as well as transportation by Askari Charter Services (ACS), ground handling services at Islamabad airport by Askari Airport Services (AAPS), domestic and international air travel ticketing by Askari Travel & Tour (AT&T), ground, cabin and flying training of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft by Askari Flying Academy (AFA) beside aircraft and helicopter maintenance and operation services through Askari Aviation (Pvt) Ltd (AAL).

    “In addition to its integral fleet of helicopter and aircraft, AAS also enjoys the backing of Pakistan Army Aviation and is providing international charter services to the army for its United Nations (UN) peacekeeping troops deployed around the world,” he said.

  • PTI govt mulls selling PIA-owned luxurious New York hotel worth ‘billions of dollars’

    PTI govt mulls selling PIA-owned luxurious New York hotel worth ‘billions of dollars’

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is planning to privatise the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)-owned luxurious Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, drawing the ire of opposition members and the general public for “attempting to sell an asset of the national carrier worth billions of dollars”.

    The 19-storey hotel with 1,025 rooms plus allied facilities in New York City, with some of the suites being among the most luxurious available in Manhattan, is considered a valuable property that also carries cultural significance for Pakistan.

    Standing on the corner of 45th Street and Madison Avenue, in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, the hotel bears a quintessentially American name in honour of former United States (US) President Theodore Roosevelt, who had previously been the governor of New York State.

    It has remained in news for the last several years for its proposed auction. However, the management of PIA always rejected such claims.

    The said hotel was acquired by PIA Investment Limited on lease during the year 1979 with an option to purchase the property. PIA had purchased the hotel against $36.5 million against a demand of $59.5m by contesting a lawsuit against the owner in 1999. The Interstate Hotel and Resort is managing the Roosevelt Hotel since 1997.

    According to a notification issued Monday — at a time when the federal government is reportedly at odds with the national carrier after Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan’s statements regarding PIA pilots having “dubious” licences –, the privatisation of the hotel was discussed in a meeting of the cabinet committee on privatisation on Wednesday.

    The meeting was chaired by Adviser to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, stated the notification issued a day before the meeting.

    It has, however, not been very well-received by the Twitterati.

    What do you think of the government’s plans to sell the luxury hotel owned by PIA? Let The Current know in the comments.

  • IHC to decide on petition seeking removal of aviation minister

    IHC to decide on petition seeking removal of aviation minister

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday reserved its verdict on the maintainability of a petition seeking the removal of Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan from office for bringing the issue of pilots’ dubious licences out in the open.

    The petition, filed by one Advocate Tariq Asad, submitted that the remarks tarnished the image of the country in the international community.

    The petition was filed a day after the European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) has suspended the authorisation for the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to operate in Europe for six months. In another related development, the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Agency suspended PIA flight operations from three airports — Birmingham, London Heathrow and Manchester.

    Recalling the EASA decision, the petitioner said if a pilot possessed a fake/dubious licence, the minister should have taken action against them instead of bringing the matter in the knowledge of the National Assembly from where the national and international picked it up.

    Subsequently, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah reserved his verdict on the matter which he said to announce later.

  • Europe bans PIA

    Europe bans PIA

    • UK, which is no longer a part of the EU since after Brexit, has also banned certain PIA flights

    Amid the controversy around the alleged fake licences of hundreds of Pakistani pilots, operations of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in Europe were on Tuesday banned for six months by the European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA).

    According to a spokesperson of the national carrier, EASA has suspended PIA’s authorisation to operate in European Union member states for six months effective July 1, 2020 at midnight.

    A statement from the national carrier added that PIA would discontinue all its flights to Europe temporarily.

    All passengers booked on its flights to European destinations will have the option to either extend their bookings to a later date or get a full refund.

    “PIA is in contact with EASA to allay their concerns and to take necessary corrective measures along with filing the appeal against the decision,” the press release said.

    The national flag carrier said it “sincerely hopes that with reparative and swift actions taken by the Pakistani government and PIA management, earliest possible lifting of this suspension can be expected”.

    Meanwhile, according to journalist Murtaza Ali Shah, United Kingdom (UK), which is no longer a part of the EU since after Brexit but remains subject to EU law, has also suspended PIA flights from and to Birmingham, Heathrow in London, and Manchester with immediate effect.

    “The UK Civil Aviation Authority is required under law to withdraw PIA’s permit to operate to the UK pending EASA’s restoration of their approval that it meets international air safety standards,” the journalist quoted a spokesperson as saying.

    The moves follow the grounding of hundreds of pilots whose licences Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan termed “dubious”. Most pilots were affiliated with PIA.

  • PIA pilots’ licences

    PIA pilots’ licences

    The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) crash in May that killed 97 out of 99 people on board is still fresh in our memories. An initial report says it was due to human error by the pilot and air traffic control. Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said the pilots were distracted discussing coronavirus and as a result, the pilot initially failed to perform the landing correctly when the plane scraped at the runway the first time before taking off again. In another shocking “revelation”, the aviation minister said that 262 pilots out of 860 active ones in Pakistan have “fake licenses” which he later changed to dubious or suspicious licences. It not only made international headlines but as a result, PIA grounded 141 pilots while there also are reports of Pakistani pilots in Vietnam and some Gulf countries being grounded, subject to a review.

    On the other hand, Pakistan Airline Pilots’ Association (PALPA) on Saturday denied these allegations. Head of the pilots’ union said there is no truth in these allegations. According to a detailed report in BBC Urdu, the claim by the aviation minister is incorrect and the number of pilots with dubious credentials is not as high. The minister later conceded his original stance. The report explains that the examination process, which makes for about 5 per cent of the licensing process, changed in 2012. Before 2012, pilots had to give two papers but a new model of examination was introduced by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) which now requires pilots to take eight papers, mostly theoretical. It did lead to some pilots failing the exams as they were quite complicated or they didn’t get a proper understanding of the scope of exams.

    While many cleared the new examination process, some could not, so an environment evolved where it was made easy for pilots to cheat and some eagerly resorted to cheating, which included making others sit in their place to clear the exams for a few hundred thousand rupees. It is said that while pilots around the world get their commercial licences after being tested for their technical know-how and flying hours as well as a basic examination process, Pakistan’s new examination process was thought to be cumbersome for most of the pilots since it was laid out in a way that was not clear to those who were taking it.

    This is a case of moral dilemma as well as using unfair means. Being a pilot is one of the key jobs where there are extremely high expectations of moral obligation and trust. Cheating cannot be condoned at any cost nor the concept of facilitation of such unfair means. All pilots must be investigated properly and if they have resorted to shortcuts, they must be punished. That said, if the number is marginal compared to the minister’s claim, a clarification must be issued to clear the names of Pakistani pilots. Some complain that the CAA’s role in the entire process raises some red flags.

    We cannot stress enough about air safety. Hundreds of lives are at stake each time a plane takes off. The Aviation Ministry, CAA and airlines must investigate thoroughly and make their findings public. Any such inquiry must involve international stakeholders to add credibility to an embattled CAA whose own credibility is also on the line. Pilots and their bodies also need to initiate a thorough, inward-looking review process that builds trust in their own profession and shows that they are not on the wrong side of the debate.

  • PIA & 150 pilots ‘with fake licences’

    PIA & 150 pilots ‘with fake licences’

    The Supreme Court (SC) has taken notice of reports of pilots allegedly flying planes in Pakistan without licences.

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed has summoned a reply from the director general (DG) of civil aviation within two weeks, directing him to explain how and why these fake licences are issued and what action is being taken against the people who issue them.

    Putting passengers’ lives at risk is a major crime, the CJP said and also summoned the heads of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Air Blue and Serene Air at the next hearing, directing them to submit reports verifying the licences of their respective pilots.

    PIA GROUNDS 150 PILOTS:

    In a related development, PIA announced on Thursday that it will be grounding nearly 150 out of its 426 pilots amid an inquiry that they hold “dubious” licences.

    A day earlier, Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan said 262 pilots, out of total 860 in the country, have suspicious flying licences and would be grounded immediately.

    Talking to media in Islamabad, he said licences of these pilots are dubious.

    The minister stated that there are some pilots, who did not appear in any paper but managed to get the licences.

    He informed that the government has decided that all such pilots would be issued show cause notices and charge sheets so that they could not fly any plane.

    Sarwar said criminal proceedings would also be initiated against pilots with fake licences as the government could not allow anyone to put the lives of its citizens at risk.

    The decision comes at a time when an initial inquiry into a PIA plane crash was presented before the parliament by the country’s aviation minister, who also highlighted irregularities at the national carrier.

    PIA’S REACTION TO MINISTER’S CLAIM:

    Earlier, PIA asked the Aviation Division to provide a list of all quack pilots associated with the airline.

    PIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal Arshad Malik wrote a letter to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) DG in reference to the minister’s claim that out of 264 fake or suspicious licences, around 150 belonged to PIA pilots.

    As an operator as well as the national flag carrier, he said, “It is a grave concern for us as many out of these 150 pilots must be flying PIA aircraft, which cannot be allowed after disclosure of fake/suspicious licences scam by [the] aviation minister”.

    Arshad Malik reminded the top CAA official that he had penned a similar letter to the aviation secretary for the provision of a list of those PIA pilots having fake or suspicious licences but no response had so far been received.

  • Cockpit crew, air traffic control responsible for plane crash: report presented to PM today

    Cockpit crew, air traffic control responsible for plane crash: report presented to PM today

    Exactly a month after the fatal Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash in Model Colony, Karachi, the preliminary investigation report was presented to Prime Minister Imran Khan today. Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan met the prime minister and briefed him on the investigation into the incident.

    Read more – PIA crash survivor recalls what happened

    The crash claimed 97 lives and two survivors and according to Geo News, the report details that the air traffic control and the cockpit crew of the plane were responsible for the crash but it also says that the deterrents in place by PIA and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) were not enough to avoid the plane crash and they also share equal responsibility of the crash.

    The report has also stated that investigation into any technical failure is still on-going but no technical issues have been determined yet. It is pertinent to mention here that this is a preliminary one and the detailed report will take upto six months or a year.

    Read more – The Sher I knew

    Following the crash, the prime minister had ordered a probe into the incident to determine why the plane had crashed and Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan had said that he would present the report to the national assembly today (June 22nd).

    According to a recording of a Mayday call, the pilot told controllers the aircraft had lost power when he tried to land for the second time.

    Read more – Currency worth Rs3 crores was being smuggled on PK8303; discovered in PIA plane’s debris

    The aircraft had tried to land earlier but went around for a second attempt. According to the recording, an air traffic controller told the pilot that he might be off-course. The pilot told him that he had lost the engines. The pilot had been cleared to use any runway but called, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday,” and the plane crashed minutes later.

    After the aircraft reportedly called off an earlier attempt to land and went around for a second attempt, a controller radioed the pilot of flight 8303 that he appeared to be turning left, suggesting he was off-course.

    The pilot replied, “We are returning back, sir, we have lost engines,” and the controller cleared the plane to land on either of Karachi airport’s two West-Southwest-facing runways.

    Meanwhile, the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) have been been decoded in France and the inquiry committee has received a report.

  • PIA flight from Riyadh makes emergency landing in Karachi

    PIA flight from Riyadh makes emergency landing in Karachi

    A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Riyadh on Thursday made an emergency landing at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, after the plane developed some technical fault, ARY reported.

    According to reports, PIA flight PK8726 from Riyadh was scheduled to land in Multan but developed a technical fault, forcing it to make an emergency landing at the Karachi airport. “The plane safely landed at the airport,” the report quoted sources as saying, adding that an alternative plane was arranged for the passengers to leave for Multan.

    Speaking of the technical fault, they said something went wrong with one of the doors that apparently did not close properly.

    The passengers, after realising something was wrong, refused to fly on the same plane and demanded that the authorities make alternative arrangements.

    The incident comes days after 97 people were killed while only two survived miraculously after an ill-fated PIA plane crashed in a residential area seconds away from the Karachi airport.

    An investigation into the crash is underway.

    Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan has said that those found responsible in Pakistan International Airline (PIA) plane crash incident will be taken to task. He assured that fair and transparent investigation will be carried out into the tragic crash incident.

    Speaking during the National Assembly session on Wednesday, he said the preliminary investigation report will be presented before the house on June 22. “Decoding of voice and data boxes have been completed and this will be made part of the inquiry report to make it credible,” the minister highlighted.

    Sarwar maintained that the government has requested the International Pilots Association to provide a pilot and technician to help in the investigation of the crash.

    He said the inquiry reports of plane crashes that occurred in the past including those in the federal capital will also be made public.

  • PIA incurring Rs6 billion loss per month, Air Marshal Arshad Malik tells PM Imran

    PIA incurring Rs6 billion loss per month, Air Marshal Arshad Malik tells PM Imran

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal Arshad Malik has told Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan that in the prevailing situation, the national flag carrier is running into a loss of around Rs6 billion on a monthly basis.

    A sum of Rs24 billion was being spent yearly on the payment of salaries to its 14,500 employees alone, the PIA CEO briefed the premier, who was chairing a meeting on the reforms and restructuring of the national airline.

    The CEO also apprised the PM about the progress on the investigation into the Karachi plane crash, handing over of bodies to their bereaved families and payment of compensation amount to the heirs of plane crash victims, the PM Office Media Wing in a press release said.

    The meeting was attended by Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Information and Broadcasting Minister Senator Shibli Faraz, Advisor to PM on Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain, Special Assistant Lt Gen (r) Asim Salim Bajwa and other senior officials.

    During the meeting, a timeline for the restructuring of the PIA and a comprehensive roadmap over reforms and implementation was also submitted before the prime minister.

    Addressing the meeting, the PM said due to the coronavirus pandemic, the country’s economy was facing difficulties, adding that people had to bear the burden of billions of rupees losses on a monthly basis suffered by the state-owned entities.

    He said under the current situation, it was imperative to expedite restructuring and reforms process in the PIA, which had been running into billions of rupees loss owing to Covid-19.

    PM Imran stressed upon bringing down expenditures of the organisation, focusing on increase in its income and financial resources and upgradation of its fleet.

    He also directed that special attention should be paid so that the PIA-owned domestic and foreign assets, which could be utilised through a completely transparent and clear manner. The assets should create financial resources for the organisation instead of becoming a burden on the general public, he observed.

    Arshad Malik on the occasion also gave a detailed briefing on the restructuring, improvement in the financial discipline, better and effective utilisation of the PIA’s assets, and strategy over other related issues.

    He said due to the prevailing situation, the airlines industry throughout the world had been affected and reforms in that regard, were carried out in the organisation.

  • Currency worth Rs3 crores was being smuggled on PK8303; discovered in PIA plane’s debris

    Currency worth Rs3 crores was being smuggled on PK8303; discovered in PIA plane’s debris

    In a shocking development, local and foreign currency amounting to Rs30 million was allegedly being smuggled in the plane that crashed in a Karachi neighbourhood on May 22, a spokesperson of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has claimed.

    “Local and foreign currency worth millions of rupees was recovered from the crash site,” said the spokesperson, adding that a total of Rs30 million had been recovered from three separate bags.

    The PIA official said that such an amount cannot be transported without informing the airline and that an extra seat ticket needs to be purchased for transporting such huge amounts of cash. “A passenger cannot carry it in their luggage or cabin baggage.”

    He said for such large amounts of cash, a passenger has to be seated next to the cash but no passenger had brought an extra seat.

    So far, three people have come forward to claim the money, the spokesperson said.